Scholarship Need Calculator

What this calculator estimates

Estimate the scholarship funding gap after family resources, aid and desired borrowing. The calculation runs locally in your browser and is intended for planning and comparison.

How to use it

Enter the requested values, select Calculate, review the headline result and supporting figures, then change one input at a time to compare another scenario.

How the calculation works

Remaining cost of attendance is compared with family resources, existing aid, student earnings and the desired borrowing limit.

Input checklist

The Scholarship Need Calculator uses the values shown in its form. Before calculating, check each input independently so an incorrect unit or time period does not carry through to the final result.

• Annual cost of attendance ($): verify that this value uses the unit, period, and definition shown by the calculator.
• Years remaining: verify that this value uses the unit, period, and definition shown by the calculator.
• Family contribution and savings per year ($): verify that this value uses the unit, period, and definition shown by the calculator.
• Existing grants and scholarships per year ($): verify that this value uses the unit, period, and definition shown by the calculator.
• Student earnings available per year ($): verify that this value uses the unit, period, and definition shown by the calculator.
• Maximum desired borrowing total ($): verify that this value uses the unit, period, and definition shown by the calculator.

Practical interpretation

Use the Scholarship Need Calculator result as the answer to the specific inputs entered, not as a universal value. The calculation currently described on this page is: Remaining cost of attendance is compared with family resources, existing aid, student earnings and the desired borrowing limit. Change one important input at a time when comparing scenarios so you can see which assumption actually drives the difference.

Checks before relying on the result

The result depends on the values and units entered. Recheck the inputs and compare the estimate with the real-world source or rule that applies to your situation. Recalculate when a key value changes, and keep the original inputs with the result if you need to reproduce or compare the calculation later.

Important limitations

Actual financial-aid offers, eligibility, work-study, tuition changes and living costs may differ.

Frequently asked questions